A Single Step
by Charlie Shephard
Summary: My take on a scene that I believe will happen in S6- Kate wants to know why Jack blew up the bomb, and she won't take 'destiny' for an answer. Oneshot.


**A/N: I don't own Lost, the only things I own in this story are well…nothing. This story was inspired by the S5 Finale (obviously lol), and a quote from Evangeline Lilly in a recent interview, where she said that Jack and Kate just need to talk to one another to realize the feelings they hold for one another. I've been working on my next AU as well and there's a little preview of it after this. I hope you enjoy it, and as always reviews are appreciated!**

**A Single Step**

They had been walking for hours.

Almost an entire day ago now, everyone at the Swan site had been flashed forward to 2007. Everyone except Juliet. Sayid was still bleeding internally from his gunshot injuries, Sawyer was still devastated by the loss of Juliet, and Jack was still reeling from his failed attempt at fixing everything- the pain, the misery and his last chance at getting his happily ever after with Kate. As it turned out, Miles was right- Jack had indeed caused the original incident.

The 'Incident' as Dr. Chang had described is was in fact exactly what Jack had done to try and prevent it. The power of the atomic explosion combined with the electromagnetic properties of the energy pocket had in effect forced them all to 2007- everyone but Juliet and those who belonged in that time. What became of Radzinsky, Phil, Dr. Chang and the other members of the Dharma Initiative was anyone's guess.

Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Miles, Sayid and Jin had all woken up groggy but with memory intact in 2007, scattered throughout the crater the Swan explosion had caused.

_Jack's mind was in overdrive. It was almost like seeing his entire life flash before his eyes. The last thing he saw before the bomb took over was Kate's face looking back at his own, but suddenly a burst of white light had ended the sight, as well as the majority of his consciousness._

_It was almost like he was dreaming. He saw himself identifying his Father's body in the morgue, he saw himself arriving at the airport in Sydney, he saw himself boarding Oceanic 815, he saw his own eyes subconsciously drawn to Kate as he walked by her on the plane toward his seat, he saw his conversation with Rose, he saw Charlie squeeze by him to get his fix in the bathroom, and then it hit. _

_The crash. He didn't only see it happen from his own eyes, he relived it. He felt the jerk of the plane, the horrific sound of the fuselage breaking in two, and finally he saw himself black out and slump over in his seat._

_This time though, there was no long delay as the images took over once again. There was the frightening sight of the plane wreck and the man who was sucked into the jet engine. There was the image of Kate stitching him up on the beach, the launching of the raft, their first kiss in the jungle, being taken captive by the others, the heart-wrenching depiction of Kate and Sawyer on the monitors, his love profession to Kate, the explosion of the freighter…_

_But then, everything stopped. Jack eye's shot open. _

_He had no idea where he was, he looked up where the sky should be and saw mostly trees. He was lying in some sort of pit, but at the moment the pain in his head was so overbearing he couldn't move- not even to tilt his head. The pain gradually subsided and he slowly got himself up and looked around. He realized that they were lying in the site of the Swan explosion. He guessed that the bomb must have flashed them back to the present time instead of providing them with the loophole he'd hoped for._

_What intrigued him more was the fact that he could identify every other presumably dead body in the crater. There was Sawyer, Miles, Hurley, Sayid, Jin who was lying next to him, and Kate. Jack was crestfallen that everything he had done to try and give himself another chance had failed so miserably. He looked over at Kate's body, merely ten feet from where he stood, and couldn't help but think of what could've been. _

_What had he done so wrong that he didn't deserve happiness? What had he done to deserve killing everyone on the island- killing Kate? Most importantly, what had Kate done to deserve to die? _

_She had completely transformed herself from the convict who never opened up, who never cared for anyone, to the most loving mother in the world. After spending so much time with Kate, Jack wasn't sure he could ever love again. _

_His depressed thoughts were interrupted when Kate start writhing around on the floor. Immediately Jack was drawn into action, cursing himself for not checking her pulse earlier. _

"_Kate! Kate!" He urged, shaking her gently by the shoulders. "You gotta wake up, Kate." Jack said, shedding a single tear in the process._

"_Get off me! Get off!" She yelled subconsciously, rolling on her side in a vain attempt to get out of Jack's grasp._

"_Kate. It's ok. It's me. Jack. You're going to be OK. I need you to wake up now, please!" Jack pleaded toward Kate's unconscious form. _

_Medically, this phenomenon was entirely new to Jack. Kate was unconscious, and so any dreams she would be having couldn't manifest themselves physically. But in this case, somehow Kate was having a physical reaction, something that Jack couldn't even fathom, which made him all the more worried. If she needed his aid, he wasn't sure he'd be able to give it._

"_Let me go! You're not taking me anywhere!" Kate yelled, arms flailing._

"_Kate. C'mon. Please wake up!" Jack pleaded._

"_Let me…" Kate began to say, before the flailing stopped. Before everything stopped._

_The next few seconds felt like minutes to Jack. They were the longest few seconds in Jack's life without doubt. Jack was beginning to lose hope that Kate would wake up like he did when her eyes shot open just as his did._

"_Jack?" She supplied weakly, shocked at the sight._

"_Kate! You're ok!" Jack replied, cradling her in his arms. He was so relieved that Kate was fine that the adrenaline rush stopped, and all the pain returned. But Jack didn't mind, because Kate was going to live._

_She lay there for a few minutes, regaining her senses and allowing the grogginess to dissipate. The comfortable silence ended as Kate looked around and saw the rest of their friends scattered around the crater._

"_What happened?" She muttered softly, fear beginning to take hold._

_Jack took a moment to compose himself before answering. "I think they're going to be fine. If they all go through the same through the same thing that we did, they should all wake up when they're ready. We just have to wait." Jack said._

"_Wait, you mean…it happened to you too?" Kate asked incredulously._

"_If you mean my entire life flashing before me, then yea. It happened to me to." Jack joked._

"_Well it wasn't my entire life. It was just my life since…" Kate started to say, but was totally unable to finish. The memory was too painful._

"_Since the marshal caught you?" Jack finished for her._

"_Yea. At first I could just see and hear him and then he grabbed me and starting saying things like 'Come on, let's go' and 'Get up' and it freaked me out. I didn't really know what was happening but I tried to run."_

"_Well, I should probably tell you that it wasn't the marshal, it was me. I was trying to get you wake up when you started writhing around on the floor. But well, I learned the hard way that whatever happens to us can't be stopped. We just have to get through it." Jack said._

_Kate smiled softly in gratitude, before asking, "So how did we get here? We blacked out in 1977, how did we get here? Hell, where is here?" Kate asked nervously._

"_I'm pretty sure we're in the crater we caused when we blew up the hatch. I think it's over there," Jack said pointing to what he believed was the hatch, "I just haven't had a chance to check it yet."_

"_OK, but how did we get here?" _

_Jack looked towards the ground, the disappointment of not getting the second chance with Kate he so desperately wanted, and of not saving everyone who had died resurfacing. "What happened?" He said to himself, drawing a wry smile, "I was wrong."_

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It had taken a few hours, but eventually the rest of their friends had woken up. It had been a very long, drawn out time, because for Jack and Kate, they really had no idea when or if they would indeed wake up

When they did eventually all wake, things didn't get much better. Sawyer returned grieving the loss of Juliet, and stalked off immediately into the Jungle without saying a word. Hurley, trying to bring him round, followed him while explaining he would try and get him to the beach where they all had planned to meet up later. Jin and Miles had woken and gone back to the barracks, in the hope of finding their loved ones. They couldn't be sure what the incident had done to the time continuum and both held hope they would find the one they were looking for in the Dharma Initiative's old home.

Sayid though, hadn't made it. Jack had done all he could to treat his injuries, but he never awoke from his coma. Physically, he was fine. But for some reason, he'd just never woke up from the unconscious state they'd all been in. The only thing Jack had guessed was he didn't have the will to live anymore, he lacked the will to wake up. All sorts of things could have caused this, but Jack believed the death of Nadia had thrown him over the edge. It was eventually decided that he would not be buried for the next few hours, in case he did come around. If he did not wake up, they would return to the spot to lay him to rest in a few days time.

It wasn't the most humane thing to do- leaving him there undefended. But it was all they could.

Soon enough, it was time for Jack and Kate to meet up with Hurley and Sawyer at the beach, where they could plan their next move.

"_Let's go, Jack." Kate said, taking his hand and beginning to walk towards the path that would lead them to the beach._

"_I can't." Jack said softly._

"_What do you mean, you can't?" Kate asked._

"_I was wrong. I can't just sit here. I need to get off this island." Jack explained._

"_That's why we're going to the beach. We're going to figure out what do to next." Kate said, trying to convince him to go._

"_No, I can't. I'm going to find my father. He's my only chance at getting off this island."_

_Kate paused, silent for a moment, then responded, "Then I'm coming with you." _

_He had saved her so many times; she wasn't going to let him do something stupid this time. If something happened to Jack, it would hurt her too._

It was pitch black on the island, the only light Jack could see for miles was the small fire burning beside him. Kate had fallen asleep to his left a few hours ago, using his Dharma jumpsuit as a pillow, but Jack had too much on his mind to even consider sleep.

He still couldn't figure out what had gone wrong? Why had he failed? Was Faraday's theory wrong, or did he not follow his instructions carefully enough?

"Jack?" Kate said, interrupting his train of thought as he turned to face her. "You need to get some rest. It could be a long time before we find your dad."

"Don't worry, I'll be OK, Kate. I've just got a lot on my mind. Get some rest, I'll wake you up in the morning." Jack suggested, but Kate was having none of it.

"It's OK, Jack. I think I'll just sit with you for a while. If you need to talk about anything, I'm here." Kate said, placing her hand on this thigh.

Jack smiled in return, "Thanks Kate."

They sat together in silence for the better part of an hour, before it grew awkward for Kate. She knew he was beating himself up about what had happened at the Swan site, but she didn't know why. There was no way he could've known what would happen, he had to implicitly trust the sometimes crazy physicist.

Maybe he was upset _because_ it didn't work, not why it didn't. Maybe he was pissed at himself for not saving Charlie, Ana-Lucia, Libby and all the others who'd died on the island in those dramatic 100 days, but Kate wasn't so sure. As noble as Jack was, he had to have an ulterior motive, it was just how human's work.

But the question burning in Kate's mind was what that motive was. _Did he want to get off the island? Did he really mean it when he said he didn't want to meet me? Did he hope it would take him so far back that he could reconnect with his ex- what was her name- Sarah?_ _Was it really _all _misery for him? _If that was what was truly bugging him, there was only one way to get it out.

"Why'd you do it, Jack?" Kate said abruptly, breaking the silence.

"I told you Kate. I'm going to find my dad and my sister and get the hell off this rock." Jack said calmly, wondering why she needed it explaining.

"Not this, Jack. Why'd you blow up the Swan?" Kate asked pointedly.

"I told you Kate. So I could save Charlie and Ana-Lucia and Libby. Everyone who died, we could've erased it all. They'd all be alive, Aaron would have his mother and…" Jack began, but was interrupted.

"I'm not buying it, Jack." Kate said coolly, but sternly. "You are probably the most notable, good-willed man I've ever met. But nobody is _that _noble. You had to have at least one reason just for you, Jack. What did you want, Jack?"

"I told you already, Kate. Locke said it was our destiny to come back here. I wanted to save everyone we lost, to erase all the misery." Jack restated.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it was _not_ all misery?" Kate said angrily, tears flowing slowly.

"Yea, well, enough of it was." Jack dejectedly replied, just as he had last time.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, both mulling over the previous conversation, before Kate spoke out. "You know, there was a time when you'd tell me anything. What happened to us, Jack?"

"I screwed it up, Kate. That's what happened." Jack admitted guiltily.

"Why can't we go back to that? Just tell my why, Jack. Whatever it is, I won't hold it against you." Kate pleaded. She was getting frustrated now.

"Because it was my destiny to…" Jack began.

"Cut the bullshit, Jack!" Kate had reached boiling point. "That may be enough for anyone else on this island, but not me. I lived with you, I _loved_ you, I know you way better than that. I know you way better than _anyone_ else on this island. Why did you do it?" She screamed.

Jack looked towards the ground in thought, and Kate thought for a second she'd got him to answer truthfully. "Doesn't matter now, does it?" He replied, eyes not leaving the dirt beneath his legs.

_What could be to painful for him to admit around me? Wait, no it can't be._

"You really never wanted to meet me? You just wanted to go on with your life like I said when we got captured? Is that it, Jack?" Kate asked incredulously.

Jack, eyes still fixed on a particular leaf, let out a nervous laugh before turning to face her. "No, that's not it. You couldn't be farther from the truth."

"What are you talking about, Jack? I want to know why you did it." Kate pleaded frustrated.

"Seems to me, Kate, like you already know." Jack remarked, and upon seeing Kate's confused expression, continued, "You just said better than I ever could."

"Because I know you to well? Because I lived with you? Because I loved you?" Kate rambled, searching for an answer. "Because I loved you? I thought you loved me too, Jack."

"I did- I do." Jack corrected himself. "But you said _loved_." Jack finished, apparently satisfied at his answer, and got up to leave. "I'm going to find some food. It's almost sunrise, we have to get going soon. You should get some rest." He said as he walked out of their campsite.

But there was no stopping Kate now, she ran after him into the woods. "That's it, Jack? You think I don't care about you anymore, so you blow up an entire island? Did you ever think about _talking_ to me about it?" Kate suggested sarcastically.

"Kate, even if I did, what good what it have done? Maybe you could live with what I did to you and Aaron, but I couldn't. It wouldn't have taken long for the guilt to take over me again. I couldn't do it to you again." Jack explained. "So I did the only thing I could. If we got a chance to start over, then I wouldn't have that memory of what I did to you, and we could start over- just, for me at least, it'd be the first time."

Kate paused, silently reminiscing of their past conversations- recalling one in particular.

"Jack, do you remember what you said to me when we first got here?" Kate said, causing Jack to lock his gaze with hers. "You said that we all deserve a second chance."

Jack nodded slowly. "Yea. I remember."

"So why don't you?" Kate said, and a deathly silence surrounded them.

"Because I already used mine." Jack replied in a defeated tone, turning once more towards the woods.

"Wait, Jack." Kate said following him. "You risked your life, and everyone's on the island, just so we could start over?"

"You got your answer, Kate. Go get some rest. We have to leave soon." Jack said, basically confirming her theory, before turning one last time to gather some food. This time Kate didn't follow.

Kate had been wrong about Jack. He had barely said a word to her since they'd returned, and the ones he said didn't exactly stir up old feelings. Kate had thought he hadn't felt the way he used to for her. So she'd tried to push her feelings down, for she could never truly get over them. She'd succeeded for the most part, but then they resurfaced in the moments of panic before the bomb blew up- when that Other hit Jack, when they beat him, when he looked so defeated and pleaded for her approval at the Swan site.

She still loved him, of that she was sure. Jack was just too damn stubborn to realize it.

A short while later, Jack returned. He didn't say a word to her, just gathered his things, clearly still wondering why he'd told Kate what he did. Until finally, he put out their fire and said "Let's get moving. We have a long way to go."

They began walking through the forest, eventually reaching a clearing, before Kate decided it was time to tell Jack what she'd wanted to before he went to blow up the bomb.

"I'm glad you didn't blow up the Swan, Jack." Kate blurted out, causing Jack to stop and turn around, looking toward the ground.

"Why?"

"Because, I don't want to risk never meeting you. I don't want to risk losing you." Kate answered, causing Jack to shift his gaze toward her eyes. "Because I still love you, despite what you think."

"But after all I did to you…I left you…the drugs…the constant calling…how?"

"How could I not, Jack? You tried to blow up an island. For me. For us." Kate said, cupping his cheek with her palm before kissing him softly on the lips.

Jack remained deadly silent, still extremely amazed at the distance their relationship had moved forward in the time that he thought it would take drastic steps backward. Apparently, all they needed to do was talk.

Kate smiled at Jack's confusion, before walking on, Jack following a few moments later. A few moments later, she smiled once again to herself. It was foolish to think Jack didn't love her anymore; all they'd needed to do was talk about their feelings for one another.

It wasn't the last talk they needed to- and would- have. But it was definitely a step in the right direction.

**Hope you liked it, I tried to keep it as close to Lost as possible. IE, Jack and Kate would probably not be making out at the end of a scene like that, because Darlton love angst so much, so I tried to keep it real. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did (hell even if you didn't) PLEASE review!! I promise I can take criticism :D.**

**Anyway, here's a little preview for _The Other Man_. It takes place in a flashback so I don't give to much away about the actual plot. **

Jack walked into the store and found an 18oz bottle of water, quickly paying and walking out to find Mark talking to Kate, Jack's best friend- despite their recent troubles.

Kate was a student at NYU, but she'd known Jack since their days in high school together in California. While Jack had been accepted into Columbia as a pre-med student, Kate was going after a business degree at NYU.

"Hey Kate." Jack greeted as he walked back towards them.

"Hey." Kate replied curtly, before quickly turning her attentions back to Mark.

Mark noticed the briskness of her response, shooting a quick look at Jack, then turned back to Kate. "So, you wanna come? Me and Jack will be there."

"I'm sorry Mark, but I can't. Kevin's taking me out tomorrow night. He says he got us invitations to this really exclusive party. Not many people are invited." Kate explained, causing Jack to cringe at the mention of her boyfriend- again something Mark didn't miss.

"Oh, that's to bad. Maybe we'll see you sometime during the night though." Mark said reassuringly.

"Yea, maybe. I've gotta go meet Kevin, I'll see you guys around." She said, much more to Mark than to Jack.

"Have fun, Kate." Mark said while Jack remained silent.

"Let's get going." Jack said softly, and he continued to walk towards Columbia at a very quick pace.

"What the hell's gotten into you, man? You didn't even try to talk to her. If you don't start trying, things aren't going to fix themselves." Mark asked, concerned for his friend.

"Yea, I know Mark. But I'm having a hard time doing that. Anything else you'd like to lecture me about, or can we concentrate on basketball?" Jack snapped.

**Yea, it's not the most ground-breaking scene, but I didn't want to give anything away. Hopefully I'll have at least the first chapter posted sometime during the week, although that may be brought forward depending on the amount of feedback I get :D.**


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